Electrical and Computer Engineering PhD Program

Program Mission
The mission of the PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering at KAUST is to advance knowledge and train the next generation of academic and technological leaders for Saudi Arabia and the world. Through a dynamic integration of education, research, and community engagement, the program nurtures innovation that supports global progress and directly contributes to the Kingdom’s national priorities in Health and Wellness, Sustainable Environment, Energy and Industrial Leadership, and Economies of the Future. The program empowers students to conduct pioneering, interdisciplinary research that bridges theory and application across the full spectrum of modern ECE, ranging from semiconductors, nano-fabrication, imaging, and photonics to wireless communication, smart systems, and robotics.

Program Goals
• Provide advanced doctoral education that builds deep theoretical foundations and rigorous research skills.
• Develop independent researchers capable of generating original contributions to ECE.
• Enable translation of research into practical and societal impact through interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Promote professional leadership, ethical practice, and scholarly service within the academic and broader community.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)

Knowledge and Understanding
• K1: Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of advanced theories and principles across core ECE domains (e.g., circuits, electromagnetics, signal processing, control, communications, semiconductors, photonics, robotics, and computer systems).
• K2: Specialize in-depth knowledge in one or more subfields sufficient to lead original research.
• K3: Evaluate current research literature to identify trends, gaps, and open problems in a chosen area.
• K4: Integrate mathematical, computational, and systems-level concepts to frame complex, multidisciplinary research questions.

Skills
• S1: Conduct original, independent research using appropriate theoretical, computational, or experimental methods.
• S2: Implement advanced systems, experiments, and prototypes using contemporary tools, platforms, and instrumentation.
• S3: Apply quantitative modeling, analysis, and algorithmic techniques to validate and interpret research results.
• S4: Communicate research outcomes effectively in scholarly publications, presentations, and technical forums.

Values, Autonomy, and Responsibility
• V1: Adhere to high standards of research ethics, integrity, and reproducibility.
• V2: Exercise autonomy and accountability in planning, managing, and progressing doctoral research.
• V3: Pursue continuous professional development and lifelong learning to sustain research leadership.
• V4: Contribute to the scholarly community through mentorship, collaboration, and service.

PhD Course Requirements

Students entering the PhD Program must complete the requirements below:

300-level courses (6 credits)
Graduate Seminar (non-credit)
Winter Enrichment Program (non-credit)

The Academic Advisor may request the completion of additional courses. Courses taken while pursuing the KAUST MS degree cannot be counted towards the PhD course requirements. Courses must be technical courses and cannot be substituted with Research or Internship to fulfill degree requirements.

Graduate Seminar (non-credit)

Students must register for ECE 398 and receive a Satisfactory grade for two Semesters during their PhD.

Winter Enrichment Program (non-credit)

All students must complete the Winter Enrichment Program (WE 100) for credit at least once during their studies at KAUST. Students who have previously completed WEP will be exempt from this requirement in their future studies.

PhD Candidacy

In addition to the coursework requirements, students must successfully complete the required PhD candidacy milestones to progress toward PhD candidate status. These milestones are as follows:

A subject-based qualifier
PhD Proposal Defense

Once students have advanced to candidacy, students are designated as PhD or Doctoral Candidates.

Qualifying Exam

The purpose of the qualifier is to test the student's knowledge of the subject matter within the field of study. It is offered twice a year. Students have up to two attempts to pass the qualifier. All PhD students must successfully pass the qualifier exam by the end of the third semester of the PhD program. Students who fail with no retake or fail the retake will be dismissed from the University.

The qualifier is administered in the form of a written exam. Each student is to choose and solve 5 problems from a pool of 30 questions. These questions cover topics within the 17 core ECE courses (2 questions per course) listed below. For example, the student could choose to solve 2 questions from ECE 206, two questions from ECE 211, and one question from ECE 231. These questions cover topics within the core ECE courses as listed below:

ECE 202	Monolithic Amplifier Circuits	AMCS 211	Numerical Optimization	CS 204	Data Structure and Algorithms
ECE 206	Device Physics	AMCS 241	Probability and Random Processes	CS 256	Digital Design and Computer Architecture
ECE 208	Semiconductor Optoelectronic Devices	ECE 242	Digital Communication and Coding	CS 244	Computer Networks
ECE 221	Electromagnetic Theory	ECE 251	Digital Signal Processing and Analysis	ECE 245	Wireless Sensors and Sensors Networks
ECE 231	Principles of Optics	ECE 271A	Linear Control Systems	ECE 263	Cyber-Physical Systems
ECE 200	Power System Analysis	ECE 209	Power Electronics

Dissertation

The Dissertation is the final milestone of the PhD program. Students must complete the following:

Petition to Defend Dissertation/ Form Dissertation Defense Committee
Defend Dissertation
Archive Dissertation

Petition to Defend Dissertation

Students must determine the Defense date with the agreement of all members of the Dissertation Defense Committee. It is the sole responsibility of students to submit the required documents in consultation with the GPC and the Dissertation Advisor by the deadline published in the Academic Calendar and at least 2 months prior to the Defense date.

Students must defend their Dissertation and obtain the final approval of the Dissertation Defense by the end of their fourth year (8 Semesters and 4 Summer Sessions). Students must follow the Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines available on the KAUST Library webpage when they write their Dissertation.

Formation of Dissertation Defense Committee

The PhD dissertation defense committee must include a minimum of four members and may have up to five members. The composition of the committee is outlined as follows:

Member	Role	Affiliation
1	Faculty	Primary affiliation within of the student’s program
2	Faculty	Primary affiliation within of the student’s program
3	Faculty	Primary affiliation outside of the student’s program
4	External examiner	Affiliation outside of KAUST
5	Faculty or Research Scientist	Affiliation within or outside of KAUST

Notes:

The committee must be approved by the Dean.
Members 1-4 are mandatory, while member 5 is optional.
The student’s advisor serves as the chair of the committee. If the advisor holds a primary affiliation within the student’s program, then they act as member 1. If the advisor has a secondary or one-time affiliation within the student’s program, then they act as member 3.
The student’s co-advisor may serve as member 5.
Professors of Practice and Research Professors may serve as members 1-3 or 5, depending on their affiliation and whether they are the student’s co-advisor. They cannot be the advisor of the student and cannot serve as the chair of the committee.
Adjunct Professors and Professors Emeriti may continue serving on committees in the roles they had at the time of their departure but are not permitted to serve on new committees.
Visiting Professors may only serve as member 5, but they are not permitted to serve as external examiner.
Guidelines for selecting the external examiner can be found here.
Once approved, any changes to the committee require the approval of both the student's advisor and the Dean.

Dissertation Defense Results

The format of the Oral Defense is left to the discretion of the dissertation Committee. At the end of the Final Defense, students will be evaluated with one of the following outcomes:

Pass: The Committee agrees with no more than one dissenting vote. The dissertation must be archived within two weeks of the defense, and the student must send the Result Form to the GPSA within two days of the defense.
Pass with Conditions: All committee members must agree on the required conditions. If they cannot agree, the Dean will make the final decision. The student has up to three months to meet these conditions, unless the Committee unanimously agrees to change the deadline.
Fail with Retake: If conditions cannot be met within three months, or more than one member casts a negative vote, one retake of the defense is allowed. The retake must occur within six months of the original defense unless the Committee unanimously agrees to a shorter timeline. If the student fails the retake, they will be dismissed from the University. The Committee Chair must immediately inform the GPSA to initiate the necessary actions.
Fail Without Retake: The decision must be unanimous, resulting in the student’s dismissal from the University. The Committee Chair must inform the GPSA immediately to take the necessary actions.

Additional Guidelines:

Students who have exceeded their duration of study must apply for an extension as per the Time Limit and Extension Policy. All conditions must be fulfilled by the end of the extension period, which takes precedence over the Committee’s set deadlines.
The outcome of the Dissertation Defense must be recorded by submitting the Dissertation Defense Evaluation Form to the Office of the Registrar within two days of the defense.
Additionally, students must submit the Defense Results Form by the deadline published in the Academic Calendar.
The required forms are available on the webpage of the Office of the Registrar.

Dissertation Document

Students must follow the Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines available from the KAUST Library when they write their Dissertation.

Dissertation Archiving

Students must archive the Dissertation in the KAUST Library two weeks from the final result form. This must not exceed the deadline published in the Academic Calendar. The required form is available from the Office of the Registrar.